Duplicitous (F.C)

Cry On Cue

       The countdown for the end of the year is approaching way sooner than I thought it would, meaning I had less time to tell my mother about my plans for the end of the semester. Staying here wasn't a part of our plan, but then again, falling for a 6'5, brunette, English boy wasn't part of my plan either. I'm bracing myself for the argument that will come, but the longer I continue to put it off, the worse my anxiety throughout the day becomes. There's not much that she can do, but arguing with her is fighting a battle you never had a chance of winning.

       My plan is to tell Felix the night of the summer ball; I think it would be a good way to end off the school year, unless he's changed his mind about me visiting for the summer. That would be an awkward conversation. Besides Felix, Oliver is the only person I wanted to tell about extending my visa for the summer, but no one seems to mention him at gatherings anymore. It makes me wonder what happened during the time that I was away from the group.

       "You look like something is worrying you, love." He announces as I continue to poke at the mush in front of me. "I'm okay." My words are barely audible. "You've been poking at your porridge for ten minutes." I drop the spoon to look up at Felix. "What's going on in that pretty head of yours?" My phone vibrates on the dining table and I quickly pick it up. "It's Ollie." Felix's face falls flat. "His message says it's important." The two might've had a falling out, but Felix would never turn his back on his former friend. "I'll come with you." Saved by the bell, I guess.

Oliver's point of view
       The end of the year is near, and Felix had stopped talking to me. Calliope left me to fend for myself the moment her and Felix decided to breakup. If Felix mentioned what happened at the library to her, I don't see the three of us reconciling any time soon. "You look lonely." Michael seems to lurk around every corner of the university. "I told you how this would end, only you fucked it yourself before even getting an invite to Saltburn." He laughs. "It's almost comical, isn't it?" He taunts me, edging closer from the corridor. "My life isn't some joke, Gavey."

       "No, but it's a car crash that I can't keep my eyes off of, Quick." He walks off to meet with his friends. "Don't think you're gonna win this one." He had given me an idea that would hopefully save my plan. As I run back to my room, I send an urgent text to Calliope, hoping she would answer it. Moments later my phone pings on my unmade bed; the more of a state my room is in, the better. She would be  the arriving shortly, so to the inter web I go. Quickly typing in " how to cry on cue." I begin with the first one, thinking of a sad memory.

       Thinking of my parents dying didn't spark me enough, but gran... my heart nearly split into a milllion pieces when she passed a few years ago. Always sneaking me sweets under the table, moments later my mum and dad would fuss at her but it never stopped her. She had supported me in everything, which is how I got my full ride here at Oxford.

       A soft knock comes from the other side of the door. "Ollie, it's me." Action time. "I brought Felix with me, if that's okay." The more the merrier. "Come in." My tone laced with sadness. "Ollie what's wrong?" Calliope rushes over, while Felix falls back a few paces. "Come here." Calliope embraces me, I inhale the rush of freesia and fruit. "What happened, Ollie?" Her kind brown eyes meet my bloodshot blues. "It's my dad." Her face instantly drops, making me feel like an absolute prick. "Mum rang me this afternoon, well my aunt had to finish most of the conversation."

"He cracked his head on the pavement. Probably drunk, knowing dad, or off his fucking tits." Felix shakes his head. "Fucking hell." Calliope stays silent, and I can only imagine the thoughts running through her head. "I'm... I'm so sorry, Ollie." Calliope's soft tone could make anyone feel comforted. "It's just a shock." I rest my chin on my knees. "Does it always feel like this, C?" She turns her attention back to the present moment. "For a while, yeah." She comforts me by rubbing circles along my back. "Soon they become less often, but still there. I haven't gotten to the part where they disappear, but maybe I will."